Mark Fiorito
President

Mark Fiorito has been in the beverage industry for 25 years, having started his career at Kunde Winery in Kenwood, California. For the next 15 years, Mark worked for the Leonardini Family, Owners of Whitehall Lane Winery. There, Mark was responsible for both distribution partners as well as direct sales, first growing the Whitehall Lane brand in the Napa Valley from just under 100 cases a year to close to 1,000 cases within the next three years.

Mark was then promoted to California State Manager, overseeing the wholesale distribution and increasing sales in both the on- and off-premise markets by over 500%. Having built strong relationships with two of the largest distributors on the west coast, Southern Wine & Spirits and Young’s Market Company, Mark then became responsible for all of the Western States distribution, expanding to 30 states as Whitehall production increased from 20,000 cases to over 50,000. One of the states, Montana, had sales of only 30 cases a year with its three provincial distributors. Mark engaged a new distributor and as a result, sales increased to over 1,000 cases within four years.

Mark resides in Sonoma, California with his wife and their three children.

Scott Schiller
Vice President

A Fifth Generation Distiller, Scott has over 20 years of experience in multiple aspects of the liquor business, ranging from business and product development, to sales and marketing. He is an expert in creating strategies to mitigate risks in startup and emerging spirits businesses and managing brand portfolios of all sizes, including long-established internationally distributed brands. Scott has championed Thoroughbred’s commitment to deliver superlative client results while building internal capabilities in client firms. Throughout his career, Scott has worked with companies and brands such as Ambrabev, American Born Moonshine, Ascendant Spirits, Azul Tequila, Bently Heritage Craft Distillery, Blaum Bros. Distilling, Dancing Cat Distillery, Dutch’s Spirits, Few Spirits, Glass Vodka, Gran Centenario, Grande Arnage Cognac, Hangar One Vodka, Jackpot Spirits, Maestro Dobel Tequila, Matusalem Rum, Rio-D Cachaca, Spring 44 Distillery, St. George Spirits, and Stranahans Colorado Whiskey.

Scott learned the distilling business from his Grandfather Joseph D’Anna who owned the world famous Bucket O’ Suds in Chicago. “The Bucket” offered over 80 proprietary spirits that Joe made by hand from generations of recipes and personal creations. Throughout his career, Scott has owned two distilling companies including J. D’Anna Distilling, a manufacturer of cachaca and cognacs with facilities in Brazil, France, and the U.S. Scott spearheaded the sale of J. D’Anna’s brands in 2009.

At Proximo Spirits, the spirits division of the Beckmann Family, Scott oversaw new brand development and was on the team that purchased Hangar One Vodka and Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey. An entrepreneur at heart, Scott left Proximo in 2011 to start Thoroughbred, which was an original concept he developed as an incubator for the Brown-Forman Corporation (B-F was an original suitor for J. D’Anna Distilling). In addition, Scott assisted in the concept and operational design behind The Distilled Spirits Epicenter, which is the United States’ only institution dedicated to the education of the distilling industry.

Scott is also a guest speaker and mentor for the Entrepreneurship Department at his alma mater, Miami University, as well as a speaker for the Distilled Spirits Epicenter, the American Distilling Institute, American Craft Distillers Association, the Craft Beverage Expo, and is a contributing writer to Artisan Spirit Magazine.